Monthly Archives: April 2011

Welcome once again to The Week in Pictures! I’m sitting in my office, drinking a super big coffee, looking over my to-do list and simultaneously doing laundry. Not the most exciting but it feels good to be getting things done. Earlier this week, I posted about the premier issue of CARSON mag. Juicy hues!

I whipped up quite a few logo options for various clients this week, all while a brightly painted eye peeked through from my desktop.

Had a great time out last night with my dad, Tana and Joey at one of our favorite bars where we shared drinks, tasty food and stories of debauchery.

I’ve been wanting a change from my sleek, minimal Nixon watches. Something a bit more dramatic and outlandish. I spotted this inexpensive vintage Japanese watch on Etsy and decided it fit the bill. I know nothing about the brand but I love the oversized watch face and varying scale of numbers. Now I just need to find a jeweler to remove a handful of links.

Inspiration on top of layers of even more inspiration. I love my IKEA inspiration board because it’s magnetic — there’s never a need to put tacks or tape on my most favorite images.

I’ve been wearing this Mickey sweatshirt pretty often this week, complete with gold foil and backwards type.

And with that, I’m off! Enjoy your weekend and stay out of trouble! xoxo

Back in the Summer of 2007, I put together a quick series of collages over the course of a week titled In The Heat Of Summer. I miss the days of experimenting with collage, working with my hands and piecing together images and type. These were made just for fun, composed on hardboard with magazine cut-outs mixed with my personal photos, then scanned, with some Photoshop brushes then mixed in.

I used to work on art all the time, sometimes for solo shows, sometimes just because I had some extra time (like these). But, once I graduated school and started taking on more design work, I just never seemed to have the time. It’s time to switch gears once again and make time because I have a solo art show coming up in November 2011. I’m sure it will be both exciting and challenging.

CARSON is a new bi-monthly magazine by, you guessed it, David Carson. To date, he’s won over 170 awards for his work and it’s no surprise, considering how groundbreaking his design was considered in the 90s. I can still remember seeing issues of the magazine he art directed at the time, Ray Gun (1992 – 1995) on newsstands. And, even though I didn’t fully understand what graphic design was back in those days, the page layouts really struck a chord with me. It was the first time I’d seen a magazine that didn’t follow the typical rules of margins, filling pages top to bottom with type. Instead, the type seemed to have a mind of its own — going off the pages, through images and layering over itself, line after line. Of course this creativity with the layouts made the articles nearly impossible to read at times (Hey, I was really into that interview! Where did the rest of it go?!)….but they sure looked cool.

First working as a high school teacher and then art directing skate and surf magazines throughout the 1980s in California, Carson’s style became increasingly recognized and by the 90s he was doing work with everyone from Pepsi, Levi’s, MTV, Nike, Kodak, NBC and Armani, just to name a few. Take a quick scan through David’s website and much of his work, or at the very least, his distinctive style will be immediately recognizable. As Wikipedia says, “Carson’s work is familiar among the generation that grew up with Ray Gun Magazine, and in general, the visually savvy MTV generation. He took photography and type and manipulated and twisted them together and on some level confusing the message but in reality he was drawing the eyes of the viewer deeper within the composition itself.”

But, back to CARSON. Overall, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that although the magazine has all the recognizable ‘Carson-isms’ woven throughout its pages, the content is much more readable. This is the premier issue so perhaps he’s easing us in slowly. While Ray Gun was focused on music and lifestyle, CARSON seems much larger in scope, though this first issue is built around the concept of survival. In the introductory ‘Letter From The Editor’ page, EIC Alex Storch explains that, “What you hold in your hands will take you to a place where rules are forgotten, ideas burn sparks long past when the lights close down for the night, and the car nearly leaves the road each time it takes a high-speed turn. It’s quite a journey, and you definitely won’t be coming back as you went in. It’s all about SURVIVAL.” I can’t wait to see what future issues entail and how this editorial journey unfolds.

* If you’d like to receive CARSON, subscription details are here. A huge thank you goes out to Alex Storch for allowing me to review the premier issue.

Hi Everyone! A few weeks back, some Nubbytwiglet.com readers stopped seeing my updates in Google Reader. Upon further investigation, I realized that many of you were still subscribed to my super ancient RSS feed (thanks for following me since way back when!) that had quit working.

So, if you follow me through Google Reader, etc. please check to make sure that the Feed URL is: http://nubbytwiglet.com/feed/. This is the correct one! Sorry for any inconvenience!

I woke up really early Saturday and was immediately inspired to wear my only pair of yellow shoes. Whenever the weather gets nice, I think of these. And, one of my favorite graphic design books just happens to share the same bright yellow. Time to hit the streets!

In case you’re wondering, the book I am holding is Letterhead & Logo Design 11 and it is AWESOME. So awesome in fact that I had to pull out about 30 neon pink bookmarks before using it for photos!

Hello, sunshine! I am so glad it’s the weekend. I’ve been working on so many projects, all of which I love, all for super cool people. Media kits and websites galore! And when agency freelancin’ includes a group painting session of Picasso and Coco Chanel portraits paired with drinks and Michael Jackson on the stereo at 4 pm on a Friday, life is pretty much perfect.

I actually went out to a bunch of cool places this week but sadly forgot my camera every time. But sometimes, it’s nice to not have that distraction…and instead just enjoy that quality time with family and friends.

Some things I just can’t keep to myself. I know I just proclaimed my undying love for NARS lipstick last month but I have something new to share with you as well: MAC Sheen Supreme lipstick. Seriously, you have to try this stuff. I’ve been wearing MAC lipstick since 7th grade and this new release is by far my favorite. Extra strong vanilla scent, insanely creamy, incredibly smooth and…need I say more? Get thyself to a MAC counter!

I spend way too much time at my desk which inevitably leads to way too many office shots! Joey and I have been working on the finishing touches for our bedroom (iPod dock just arrived, acrylic night stands just ordered, now we’re hunting for a cool bed frame) so I will have some fresh scenery to show you soon.

This is what I wore while running errands downtown with Joey on Sunday. We made quick stops at H&M (who I salute for having black clothes during the Spring / Summer — I can only take so many florals, dusty rose tones and khaki!), the art supply store and a skateboard shop. I wore: Forever 21 dress and striped cardigan, H&M tights, Zana Bayne 4-strap belt and Acne Atacoma wedges.

I’ve got a ton of things that I want to accomplish this weekend and I’m feeling super motivated…so it’s time to get rolling. See you bright and early Monday! xoxo

Hello! I'm Shauna, the Creative Director of Branch, a boutique design studio. I am also a co-founder of The Blogcademy. This is my lifestyle blog, which has been going strong since 2007. I'm obsessed with shoes, llamas and traveling the world. Read more…

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